How sweet and fatty foods make overeating feel euphoric

A diet high in fatty foods and sugary treats makes overeating feel euphoric, a new study claims. (So that explains all our weight loss fails, then...)

As the Daily Mail reports, foods high in fat and sugar may trigger the receptors in your brain that make you want to gorge yourself silly, in much the same way that drugs can give users the so-called 'munchies'.

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The study by researchers at University of California Riverside is the first to suggest that junk food enhances signals to the parts of our brain that control physiological processes, including food intake, energy balance and reward, which are known as endocannabinoids.

To test this theory, the researchers gave two groups of mice different diets: half had a typically 'Western' diet full of fat and sugar, while the others were fed low-fat and low-sugar foods.

Unsurprisingly, over 60 days the mice who ate badly rapidly gained weight and became obese. Additionally, they consumed significantly more calories and larger meals at a much faster rate of intake than the other group. Alongside this, the obese mice had elevated levels of endocannabinoids in their systems.

By using a drug to block endocannabinoids, the researchers were able to reverse this so that the mice eating poorly began to consume less, until their rate of intake was the same as that of the mice on a healthier diet.

While further research in humans is needed, the team hope that their work could help in the fight against overeating and obesity.

Next time we just can't stop eating Hobnobs, we'll definitely blame our brains not our lack of willpower!

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